George b



umrsn sitar-es Parser GEORGE B. B JR-ITH.AWC. 0F GLENDALE, CALILFQRN1A..

PROCESS OF REGQIERIIIG VALUABLE CQIEPONENTS IN A. LIQUXD Pl-IASE.

1,424,447, Specification of Letters Patent.

No I) rowing.

To /ZZ vi /mm. may concern:

Be it known that l, Gnome V a citizen o? the United i ita es s Glendale,in the county of Angel. State of California, have inventor cer new anduseful Improvement in of? ls'lecovering Valuable {loin Liquid l hase. ofwhich the specification.

This invention relates to the process of re overing. at least twoconmonents saturated in a liqu d phase cont .iinir th ee or moreOOYDPODGiTtfl by m akin {if use of the properties of supersaturation. I

An object of the invention to provide a cheap process for recoveringvaluable components in a liquid phase.

The invention possesses other advantagcous features, some of which, withthe foregoing will he set forth in the tollowing descri 'ition, where Ishall outline in hill one form of the process of my invention.

I shall describe the process as applied to a liquid phase formed by thesolution of salts in water and particularly to a saturated aqueoussolution of potassium chloride an boraX, but it is understood that theproce' is not limited to this particular liquid phase.

This liquid phase has four components, namely: water, potassiumchloride, borax, and sodium chloride. The latter component is capable ofbeing formed in solution by the union of the positive ions oi the hora):with the negative ions of the potassium chloride.

In the preferred form of the process. the saturated aqueous solution ofpotassi chloride and borax is cooled. The soluhil of these two salts inwater deireases w. the temperature, and therefore they will. crystallizeout oi sohition once rystallization is siarterl. llowever, the potato.uu chlorid starts its crvstallization witl. much are ease and rapiditythan horas. 'l hat relatively very easy to obtain a s1 iers ratedsolution of horax. and. therefore upon cooling. the potz' iuin chloridecr i s l ii-xes out. but the borax remains in the solo in a state otsu'i ersaturation.

The solution is allowed to continue to crystallize out potassiumchloride until the state of supersaturation with horas has be come asgreat as the solution will stand, whereupon, the solution is transferredto another container, the temperature maintained re i dine t PatentedAug. 1, 1922.

Application filed January 8, 1920. Serial No. 350,158.

common in most any liquid from which a solid is capable oi": being;deposited. The tendency toward supersaturation is nearly always greaterwith some substances than with others. Hence, the process can be appliedto most any two substances capable oi being: deposited "from a. liquidby allowing the subs-:tancc least likely to he supersaturated to bedeposited first, and the substance most capable of supersaturation to bedeposited second. Furthermore, the supersaturation is increased it theliquid is allowed to remain quiet. and it can be prevented hy adding alittle of the solid substance with which the liquid is supersaturated.l-lence. when a liquid phase is en countered saturated with twocomponents whose tendency towards supersaturation is about the same, alittle of the solid substance of one of the two components with whic theliquid is saturated is added. before or during the cooling. In thismanner, one of the components are deposited from out of the liquidphase, while the second component remains supersaturated in the liquid.As soon as the supersaturation with the second component has become asgreat as it is prac-- tical to withstand, the liquid phase istransferred to another container, wherein by agitation, or by adding);some of the second component in solid form, it will be deposited. Thus,by this process, the separation and re covery of the solid substancesdissolved in a liquid can be readily accomplished.

It is not always necessary to create the state of supersaturation by aprocess of cooling, for this can also be accon'iplished by evaporation,and also-in a few instancesby heating, where the solubility of the twosaturated components decreases with the increase of temperature.

To some cases, a third or other component in the liquid phase, may bedeposited out along with or in chemical combination with the first orsecond component. .An example of this is shown in the above instancewhere the looraX crystallizes out with water of crystallization. Thewater is another component in the liquid phase depositing out inchemical combination with the hora I claim:

1. The process of recovering potassium chloride and horas, saturateiilin an aqueous solution, which cons in cooling the solu tion to cause astate ol supersaturation with the hora); and a deposit of potassiumchloride, removing the solution trom the deposited. potassium chloride,maintaining the solution at approximately the same tempera turc, andcrystallizing out the supersatu rated horax from the removed solution.

2, Tlie'process oi? recovering pota chloride and borax from a liquidcont ining the same, which consists in causing a state olsupersaturation with hora); and a de posit of potassium chloride,removing the licuid from the de osited otassiuni chic ride and causingthe supersaturated horax to be deposited from the removed liquid.

3. The process ol? recovering potassium chloride and horas from a liquidcontaining the same, which consists in causing a state ofsupersaturation with hora-X and a de posit of potassium chloride,separating the potassium chloride from the liquid, and

agitating the liquid to cause the supersaturated borax to be deposited.

at. The process oi recovering hora and a potassium salt from a liquidcontaining the same, which consists in causing a state ofsupersaturation with borer and a (le posit of the potassium salt,removing the liquid from the deposited potassium salt, and agitating theliquid to cause the supersaturated horar: to be deposited "from theremoved liquid.

:3. T he process oirecovering hora}: and another salt saturated in aliquid containing the same, which consists in causing a state ofsupersaturation with the borax and cansing a deposit of the other salt,removing the liquid from deposited salt, and causing the loorax to bedeposited from the removed liquid.

6. The process 01": recovering hora); from a liquid that is saturatedwith borax and other salts, which consists in causing the liquid todeposit at least one salt and causing a state of supersaturation withthe hora-X, removing the liquid from the deposited salts, agitating theremoved liquid to cause the liquid to deposit borax and recovering theloorax.

GEORGE E. BURNHAM.

